Pirates of the Caribbean: Part One
by ultrapineapple
Summary: Curse of the Black Pearl with two new characters.
1. Prechapter One: Adonia Levanti

Chapter Uno

"That'll be two pounds, ma'am." I said as I handed the newly wrapped, fresh bread to the woman. She had two boys with her whom were chasing each other around the bakery.

"Boys, stop running!" Her sons ceased and stood beside her, but continued to hit each other slightly in a sneaky matter. The woman took two pounds out of the small coin bag she carried with her and handed me the money and took the bread.

"Thank you very much. Have a nice day." I said to the woman with a warm smile. The woman smiled back.

"Thank you. You too." The woman handed the bread to one of her boys and grabbed both their hands and walked out the door. That left me bored out of my mind. I didn't really have much left to do. I swept the floor, there wasn't anymore bread to be baked, and all the orders that needed to be picked up today were already made and ready to go. All I could do was wait.

So I went into the back and grabbed a wooden stool to sit on. I took it back out to the front behind the counter. I sat down and put my elbows on the counter and rested my chin in my hands. I let out a deep sigh. I started daydreaming. I was reminiscing about back when my father would teach me the ways of the sword. I could just picture myself back on deck of _The Silhouette_. A tear fell down my cheek. I missed those days more than anything. I still can't get over the fact that I gave the boat away. I regret it so much now.

I quickly wiped my tear away as I heard someone walk in. I looked to see who it was and it was a good friend of mine. Ismiled at the sight.

"Hello there." The person said to me with a grin.

"Well hello yourself. Let me get your order." I went into the back and picked up two loafs of pumpernickel bread.

"Hot out of the oven." The person handed me a basket to set them in. I placed the bread in there as the person was searching for the money. The person handed me the money.

"Why thank you Mr. Turner." We both laughed slightly.

"You're quite welcome Miss Levanti." He said with a smirk, "So how's business going today?" He asked.

"Horribly slow I'm afraid. I don't understand it. It's been this way for a couple weeks now. No matter, what do I care? Except for the fact that I have nothing to do. Ms. Harkins is doing all of the paper work, the floors are swept and mopped, and the bread is baked. There's absolutely nothing left to do except wait. My patience is running thin." I sat back down. Will looked like he had something up his sleeve. He set the basket of bread down on the counter and walked behind the counter.

"What are you doing?" I asked, but he kept going to the back where Ms. Harkins was. I couldn't hear anything, but I saw that they were talking about something. Then I saw Ms. Harkins nod and smile and continued doing her work. Will walked over to me smiling.

"Come on." He said to me as he grabbed my arm bringing me to my feet.

"What are you doing? I can't just leave." I said taking my arm back.

"Of course you can't just leave. That's why I asked Ms. Harkins if you could take the day off since business is slow and you finished your duties." I gave him a stern look. "Don't worry. You'll still get paid for the rest of the day." I smiled and took off my apron.

"Oh, okay. I guess I'll be taking a day off then." I laughed. Will grabbed the bread off the counter and opened the door for me and he followed.

I walked Will back to where he worked and we parted for the day. I didn't want to watch him make weapons on my day off. I took in a deep breath of the fresh air. I knew exactly where I wanted to go, the docks.

/

I hid behind a grouping of barrels as two guards walked by in red. I knew that if I was caught being there, I would be arrested. Especially since I was a woman. I did a lot of sneaking around as a child, so I wasn't too worried.

As soon as I was sure that no one else was around, I peaked over the barrels to try to locate what I was looking for. Of course, the first ship I spotted was _The Interceptor_. It was the biggest ship I'd ever seen. Well, except for _The Black Pearl_, of course. Then I looked off to the side, near by a mountain of rocks and there it was. I felt my heart skip a beat. It was still as beautiful as I remembered. I slowly rose from my knees and began walking over to the ship. Just the glimpse of it was so mesmerizing.

When I reached the ship, I stopped in front of the ramp leading up to it. I felt pain and excitement all together. I slowly started approaching the deck. I touched the entrance to the ship gently before entering it. I was taking it all in. After all these years, I couldn't believe my eyes. It all looked the same. _They kept it in excellent condition_, I thought. I stepped onto the deck for the first time in two years. I looked around. I wasn't quite sure where I wanted to go first.

There were two sets of stairs leading up to a higher deck where the wheel stood. I decided to go up there. It was where I'd spent a lot of time when on the ship anyways. Keeping my eye on the horizon and looking at all the world's wonders. I stood at the wheel and looked at it. Simply just touching it softly gave me memories already. The wind suddenly blew gently, making my simple blue dress go with it. My long, wavy, brown hair moved with the wind and my dress. I closed her eyes and smiled. I always dreamed of being captain of the ship one day. I just pictured things a bit differently.

"Hey!" My sweet thoughts were suddenly interrupted. I opened my eyes in alarm and saw the same two men that walked by earlier, running up to the ship. I knew for sure that they were guards. I knew trouble was headed my way, but Ifigured that I should just face it. I'd been through worse. The men approached me.

"You there! What are you doin' on this ship? Stealin' it?" The bigger man said to me holding a gun only about a foot away from me.

"Heavens no. I mean no harm. I'm only here to think." I said to him.

"Likely story. You may be a woman, but it doesn't mean that you can't be up to no good." The skinnier man said.

"Listen, if I'm being a bother, I could just leave." I said as I attempted to walk towards the stairs, but they stepped in front of my path.

"Oh. You're not goin' anywhere except with us." The bigger man said getting a more firm grip on his gun.

"I'm only a baker. It's not like I'm a pirate or anything. Just let me go and I'll never come back here again. Alright?" I attempted again, but they stepped in my path once again. I sighed in frustration.

"Sure, sure. Tell it to the judge." The bigger one said once again.

"Okay. I don't want to hurt you two. Let me pass and I'll spare you both." They both looked at each other and laughed.

"Spare us? What could a lil' thing like you possibly do to us?" The skinnier said still laughing. I sighed once again.

"I warned you." In a blink of an eye, I took both of the guards swords and held it up to their chests. They stopped laughing and their faces filled with fear. They dropped their guns in defeat.

"Now, now. There's no need for that." A man said behind the two guards on the lower deck. I looked between the two men's heads and saw Captain Norrington standing on deck. He walked up the stairs and next to them.

"Lower your weapon, Adonia." I kept my eyes on the men. I realized that it wasn't worth it and held back my weapons. I twisted them about simply, ending in a position as to where the blades where pointing to the floor. I held them in front of the men, giving them back to them. They quickly took them back and picked up their guns.

"She caught us off guard, Captain. She was trying to steal the ship." I rolled my eyes and looked away. I knew there was no point in arguing with the idiots.

"That'll be all, gentlemen. I'll take it from here." They nodded and hurried off the ship. I walked off back to the wheel. I placed my hands on it and looked out to the sea.

"What are you doin' here?" I asked the Captain now looking at him. He started walking towards me with his hands behind his back. He stood a foot away.

"I was about to ask you the same question." He replied.

"I came here to think. I have a right to be here, you know. It did use to be my ship after all." He looked away.

"That you do. They did not know. I apologize on their behalf." He looked down thinking of what to say next. He felt very awkward around me.

"No need. It happens. I understand." I stepped away from the wheel and crossed my arms across my chest and looked at him.

"You know, you never told me why you were out here." He looked at me.

"I was thinking as well."

"About what exactly? I would think that you would have your hands full and everything. It's hard to believe you found the time."

"Miss Levanti, there are many things you do not know about me, so one should not assume." I took that as a slap in the face. Another reason why I disliked him.

"Sorry. I won't do it again." I began walking towards the stairs.

"I'm thinking of asking Elizabeth Swann's hand in marriage." He said. I stopped where I was and looked back at him.

"Elizabeth Swann?" I thought to myself about Will. I knew he wouldn't be too happy to hear about this. "The governor's daughter?"

"Yes. She's grown up to be a fine woman." As disgusted as I was, deep down inside, I also felt sorrow. I figured it was because of Will.

"Right. That she has. Well, I'm going to go." The Captain was puzzled.

"You do not wish me well?" He said as I was walking down the stairs. I looked back at him from the lower deck.

"Oh, forgive my manners." I laughed to herself and continued walking.

"Do you always walk away when people try to open up to you?" I stopped and turned back once again.

"Pardon me?" I didn't like where this was going.

"I only tell you this out of sympathy. You haven't been around long and I've noticed you do not speak to many people other than your own customers." He felt confident about his statements.

"One musn't assume, remember. I don't need your sympathy. In fact, I don't need anything from you, but thanks anyway." I began walking away for the final time. He didn't truly understand what he'd said wrong.


	2. Prechapter Two: Adonia Levanti

Who Are You?

I woke up the next morning in quite a good mood. I wasn't really sure why and I didn't really care. It was very early and I had to go to work like any other day. I washed myself and slipped on a green dress and my usual brown boots. I didn't have much money, so it's the only pair I had. She tied my hair back into a half-ponytail with a green ribbon and went on my way out the door.

It looked like any other day outside. The sky is bright and flawless, perfect in my eyes even. It had a few clouds here and there, with no sign of a gloomy, rainy day. I noticed on the side of the road I was walking on, there were daises growing. I truly loved daises. They were my favorites. I picked up one, broke the stem, and stuck it in my hair, on top of my ear. I continued on until she reached the bakery. Ms. Harkins had just finished putting in the last loaf of bread that needed to be made that day. I looked at her puzzled. I walked over to a rack by the door that held my apron.

"Um, Ms. Harkins, forgive me if I'm wrong, isn't that my job?" I finished tying my apron around her waist. Ms. Harkins turned around with a smile.

"Adonia, dear. Listen. For the past couple of weeks, business hasn't really been the best. It'll probably remain this way for quite some time. Especially since there's a new bakery around the corner." Ms. Harkins said with a bit of sadness under her breath.

"A new bakery? No wonder! I haven't even noticed. That explains a lot. Are they really that much better than us, ma'am?" Ms. Harkins' face filled with disappointment.

"I'm afraid so. They imported here from Italy. Why they decided to come here, I haven't got the slightest idea. I do know this, we haven't been making much money around here. I'm going to have to let you go, dearie." I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"But ma'am, this bakery is all I have. I-I'll work for free if I have to! Please don't make me leave. I love this place. Business'll pick up soon. We just have to make some modifications. That's all! We'll start making cakes, fruit pies, and maybe even meat pies! Yeah, that's what we'll do! Come on, we can do this!" Ms. Harkins laughed.

"You always were ambitious. Just like your parents. They would be proud of you." Ms. Harkins knew my parents for the longest time. She was an old friend of theirs. Ms. Harkins was practically family to me. I didn't want to leave her be. I walked up to Ms. Harkins. I was a tad bit taller than Ms. Harkins. Then again, Ms. Harkins was in her fifties and already began losing height.

"Ms. Harkins, I understand how you feel. Suddenly insecure and unsure of what to do. Don't think that there's only one to get out of this. I know we can do this. I mean, I know I told you I would only be workin' with you temporarily. Until I can find a way to get back out at sea and avenge my parents death. I would really hate to leave you then as well, but it's very important that I do so. Do you understand?"

"Yes, dear. I understand completely." I sighed. "Alright, alright. We can try. There's no harm in that. But the second it fails, we're ending the business. Do _you _understand?" My face beamed with utter happiness.

"Absolutely! You won't regret this! It'll work, it really will. I'm sure I could find some more people that would be willin' to help around here as well. As volunteers of course." Ms. Harkins laughed.

"Sure. That'll be fine." Ms. Harkins walked away and my way to the back. She turned back.

"Oh, but today, no help will be needed. Only paper work. Everything thing else is done. I can take it from here."

"Alright. I'll start askin' around town today." I smiled and took off my apron and headed out the door.

/

I decided to stop by the blacksmith's shop to say hello to my good friend, Will Turner. Ever since I moved to Port Royal, he's been really my only friend. Besides Ms. Harkins of course. I didn't really consider Will her best friend, but he has been there for me when I needed it. True, I thought he was handsome, but it never crossed my mind of wanting anything more than a friendship. I wasn't quite sure why. Perhaps it was because he was head over heels for Elizabeth Swann.

I opened the door to the shop.

"Hello? Anybody home?" I said as I walked a little further in. Suddenly, a loud snore startled me. I looked to see what it was and to my "surprise" I found Mr. asleep as usual. I laughed to herself.

"Over here!" I followed Will's voice and found him over by a corner were he was melting some metal.

"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be working?" I laughed.

"I got the day off again. Well, sort of. We almost went out of business because of the new bakery. I convinced Ms. Harkins not to give in and just try to sell more things and hire more people. Of course, they'll have to be willin' to work for free for a while. Know anyone that's bored out of their mind?" We laughed.

"Sorry. Can't help you there. So I'll take it that you'll be looking for some workers today." Will walked away from his worked station while the liquid metal cooled down a bit before he could do anything further.

"Yeah, pretty much. I hate to beg people to do things, but I don't want things to turn bad for Ms. Harkins. That bakery means everythin' to her and me too." Will laughed.

"We wouldn't want you to act extra nice to people now would we?" I playfully glared at him.

"Oh be quiet." I then noticed that Will was gathering some things together. He had set a really nice sword in a fancy case and set it aside.

"Goin' somewhere special? Goin' to kill someone perhaps. I'd be a little nervous if I saw Will Turner walkin' down the street with a fancy sword." We laughed.

"No. For your information, I'm going to the Governor's mansion." I looked at him quizzically.

"Love, I don't think a sword would be a proper gift for Elizabeth." Will looked at me strangely, but there was also some pink in his cheeks.

"Governor Swann ordered to have a sword made for Captain Norrington's ceremony tomorrow. You are going to that, aren't you?" I gave Will a disgusted look.

"You must be jokin'! I wouldn't even go to his funeral! Let alone his bloody ceremony makin' him Commodore!" I chuckled. " I can't believe you actually thought I was going. He hates pirates, remember? Oh wait, what am I asking you for? You hate them too. It's a good thing you found out about my history after we met and became acquainted. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here talking to you right now." I sighed. "I better go. I have some people to hunt down." I headed towards the door.

"Say hello to your beloved for me." I said sarcastically and at that, I went out the door.

/

I had felt a little sick throughout the day, so when the sun went down, I decided to go out for a walk. I had to deal with a lot of people during the day. It was so hard for me to find new people to work at the bakery. Some people were just a nuisance and some were actually nice candidates.

I decided to go down by the boardwalk in town. There weren't really any people out that night. It was quiet and the sky was starry. It was very beautiful. I stopped when I heard some movement off to the side. It was a combination of scraping shoes and screams that had difficulty exiting the mouth. I became curious and tried to look around to see where the noises were coming from.

I came across an alleyway and saw two people towards the end of it. I could barely see what was going on down there, so I squinted my eyes. I pulled back in alarm. It seemed as if an animal of some sort was being attacked or even eaten by a strange man. I couldn't hold my gasp as well as I thought. As soon as it escaped my mouth, the strange man quickly looked back in my direction. Fear suddenly filled through my body and I couldn't move. It was the worst feeling in the world. I knew I was in danger and there was nothing I could do. Scream, run, nothing. The man dropped the creature that he was holding with one of his arms and stood facing me. The creature wasn't moving on the ground. I knew that she was no longer alive.

_Come on, come on! Move! _I thought. I blinked only once and the man was suddenly right in front of me. I tried to scream once more, but I couldn't. I looked at the man carefully, but I did not recognize him. His skin was pale, but slightly gray. He was, indeed, a handsome, young man, but I still feared him. He had long, black hair that was wavy. His eyes were like no other that I have ever seen. They were mostly black. It was like staring into a black abyss. The man smirked at me. I was puzzled to find that his teeth were longer than the ones that I'm used to seeing

"Enjoy the show?" He said to me. It sent a chill down my spine.

"W-who...," was all I would get out of my mouth.

"What's a matter? Cat caught your tongue? I didn't scare you, did I? I'm sorry. Let me properly introduce myself. My name is Lorcan Furey." At that, he bowed before me out of courtesy. I was in shock. I just saw the man before me, kill a poor innocent animal. Although, in the strangest way, after hearing his name, it calmed me a bit. He had an Irish accent. I knew he wasn't from around here. Out of respect, I curtsied slightly.

"There. Now that wasn't so hard now was it, Adonia?" I cocked my head back a little in confusion.

"How do you know my name?" I finally spoke a full sentence.

"Oh, so you can actually speak? I was afraid you had a speech problem."

"You didn't answer my question. I do not know you. _That _I am sure of." Lorcan smirked at me.

"You're quite the inquisitive one, aren't you? Impatient too. Once again, I am sorry if I come off harmful to you. I guarantee you that I will not hurt you, but to help you. You have a destiny and I am here to help you. I knew your mother if you are becoming more puzzled." I was so confused. He couldn't know my mother. He seemed as if he was only my age. My mother was definitely older than me.

"I don't understand. How did you know my mother? How are you exactly? And what do you mean by destiny?" My mind was bottling. I wanted answers and I wanted them now.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down. Too many questions at once and all _will _be answered, but not right now. Right now, you are to come with me." At that, he grabbed my hand and I quickly let go.

"Excuse me. I know well enough not to go with anyone I do not know. You will tell me what you are talking about right now, then I might follow you." Lorcan rolled his eyes and sighed.

"We are wasting time. Alright. I am nearly seven hundred years old. How is that possible? I am a vampire. Yes, a vampire. They do exist. Not all are bad and I can tell already that will take ages to convince you otherwise, but you will have to deal with me for the time being. Now, your destiny has to do with vampires as well and werewolves, but that's another story that will definitely have to wait. Now, I knew your mother very well. In fact, she was a very good friend of mine. I heard of your parents death a few months after it occurred. I was going to take a ship to go out to visit your family again when I found out. I had not visit all of you since you were born. I had other things to worry about. I am very sorry about what happened. I wish I had come to Port Royal a little sooner than now, but it was a bit harder trying to find you since I had no clue where you were. Did that answer your various questions, love?" I wasn't quite sure what to say. I was starting to believe him. I mean, it all sounded truthful. That is, unless, he's just a really good liar.

"Ok, if you're done processing all of that information, I would very much like to get going. This won't take long at all." I nodded my head yes.

"Brilliant. We'll be going then. Follow me." He grabbed my hand once again. I gasped.

"What's wrong now?" I looked up at him. He was a bit taller than me. I'd say by a couple inches.

"You're freezing." He laughed to himself.

"What did you expect? Warmth? I'm dead, remember?" I looked down as we were walking at a slightly fast pace.

"Right. Sorry. I forgot." He smiled.

"It's okay. It's easy to forget." The rest of the walk was silent. I had no idea where were going. We eventually ended up in the dark, treacherous woods. I tried not to ask anymore questions. I felt that I could trust him. Maybe it was because I did know him when I was younger, I wasn't sure. My thoughts were interrupted when we stopped in front of a very tall and big tree.

"Here we are." He said. I was confused.

"We're nowhere except in front of a t-" I couldn't finish my sentence because the ground under my feet had disappeared and I fell through the ground with Lorcan by my side.


	3. Prechapter Three: Adonia Levanti

Six Feet Under

I screamed and screamed until I finally reached the bottom of the hole. Strangely, I landed on my feet and it didn't hurt at all. I expected the worse. I looked at Lorcan and then around me. I'm not quite sure what I expected to be down here, but it certainly wasn't what I was seeing.

"Wh-where are we?" I stuttered.

"An underground home I guess you could say. Now, don't freak out, but there's nothing but vampires down here. Don't worry though. We're all the good ones." My eyes widened.

"Wow." That's all I could say. It was as big as museum down there. The walls were made of marble, paintings of many things, and a lot of people, err, vampires walking around. I suppose I could call them people as well. It's not like they're a different species now.

"Come on, let me take you to him." Lorcan said looking to me.

"To who, exactly?" I asked.

"Our leader, Marius. He's been very eager to meet with you." I nodded and followed him. As we walked through the long hall, we passed many rooms. Everyone that passed by us either smiled, waved, or bowed slightly. I knew deep down inside that I should be scared, but I wasn't. It's not like you could tell that they were much different from humans. Excepting the fact that they're pale and you couldn't really see their sharp teeth, not even when they smiled.

"Lorcan?" He turned his attention towards me.

"Yes?"

"If all of the good vampires are down here, then where are all the bad ones? I mean, wouldn't it make sense if the bad ones were down here in hiding so they wouldn't harm anyone?"

"Well, we're not exactly in hiding. Like I said before, this is just more of a home. It's safe down here. We never have to worry about sunlight and no one can ever bother us down here. Especially, the 'bad vampires.' Marius is really the only person that leaves and wanders around. He's like our father. He takes care of us in many ways and we all look up to him. That doesn't mean that if we need a shoulder to cry on because someone broke your heart, he'll be there for you." He laughed. "He's a very mysterious man. No doubt about that. You'll get used to him." I started questioning myself. The more information was put into my head, the more I became confused.

_What does he mean 'I'll get used to him?' Does that mean that I'll be seeing a lot of him for now on?_

"Not only that, but the more questions you ask yourself, the more you'll be confused." Lorcan cut into my thoughts.

"You can read my mind?!" I was surprised that he could, but then again, I wasn't. He laughed at my comment.

"You have so much to learn and you will, but later." Lorcan stopped walking and knocked on the door in front of him.

"Come in, Master Furey." A voice said behind the door. Lorcan opened the door to a big, candlelit room. There was a large fireplace, which consisted of tall, ever-glowing flames. The walls were burgundy and the furniture was very fine. By the fireplace, I noticed a tall, pale man with short black hair and what looked like red eyes from a far. As I walked in, I grabbed Lorcan's hand for support and comfort. This man made me very nervous. He turned to me as I walked farther into the room. Through the slight darkness, I could see the smirk on his face.

"Alas, we meet Miss Levanti. A pleasure it is, indeed. Please, have a seat." He gestured his hands over to a love seat. I held onto Lorcan's hand tighter. I suddenly heard a voice in my head, _It's going to be okay. I promise. _I knew it was Lorcan's voice. Lorcan walked me over to the seat and we sat down next to each other.

"Care for some tea?" Marius asked me. I didn't want to be rude, but I didn't feel comfortable with drinking the tea either. Marius laughed.

"No need to be frightened, my child. You do not have to take the tea if you do not want to. I can understand why you're afraid. If it makes you feel more comfortable, Lorcan can stay here. There were personal matters that I wanted to discuss with you, but I think I can trust Master Lorcan enough." Lorcan nodded. Marius took a seat across from us.

"Well, let me start off with introducing myself. My name is Marius, as you may have heard. Welcome to our home. I will assure you that none of us mean any harm." He paused and scanned me. He smiled and shook his head in disbelief.

"Wow. You look exactly like her." He added.

"Like who? My mother? You knew her too?" Of course, by now, I had figured out that my mother had something to do with vampires. What they wanted with me was the question. Marius sighed.

"Yes, I knew her as well. We all did. We all cared about her very much. I am so sorry about your loss. I tried, as well as Master Furey, to visit all of you, but that failed. You probably don't recognize me for you were a small child the last time we crossed paths. Your mother and I were tremendous friends. Although, we had a horrible argument and we did not speak to one another for many years. I wrote her over the years hoping for forgiveness, begging even. One day, after all of those years, I finally received a letter back. She had forgiven me and she had invited Lorcan and I to visit all of you. We began our voyage to meet with you and it was then that we received another letter, informing us that you were the only one of the family that remained alive. I wanted so much to take you in myself, but for many reasons, I decided not to. For one, I knew Ms. Harkins would do a fine job in taking care of you. Two, I wouldn't want you to live the life of a vampire. I wouldn't be able to bare it. Three, your mother has told me that you are a very independent person. I figured that you might want to try to live on your own perhaps. I have known your mother for several years and I am still mourning." He had told me so much. My mind was going in circles. He did answer many of my questions, but he also made me confused about others.

"What about my father? Were you not as close to him?" I couldn't help, but to ask.

"Adonia, perhaps now isn't the time to-" Lorcan began to warn me, but Marius cut him off.

"It's okay. She has a right to know." He turned back to me.

"Your father and I were nowhere near as close as I was to your mother. Now, I know you don't want to hear this and stop me if you wish, but I feel that you should know. There was a time that Narcissa and I were in love. This was before she even met your father. Therefore, your father and I weren't the best of friends. That is a long story short. I do not want to make your entire visit a Q and A session." He laughed. He stood up.

"Now, I think it's time for a tour. Come, join me." Marius said to me as he rose from his chair. I sat there in shock. A man I have never met in my life just told me that my mother was in love with him. It's like having a stepfather, except not really. I looked up at him and just walked off with him. There was nothing else I could do, but to follow. I guess having that connection with him, now, made me feel safer.

~~~~~//~~~~~

"This place is beautiful. It ceases to amaze me." Marius and Lorcan laughed slightly.

"Well, it's home." Lorcan said with a smile.

"That it is, Master Lorcan," Marius let out a sigh, "speaking of home. We should be getting Mistress Adonia home. It is quite late." I had to admit, I was pretty disappointed to have to go home. Things were so much better underground. Lorcan nodded in agreement to Marius.

"I hope to see you soon. It was a pleasure to meet you." Marius said to me with a bow. I curtsied with a smile. He was such a gentleman.

"It most certainly was. It's the first time I felt like I was home for a long time." Marius smiled and I walked off with Lorcan. We stood in the same place where I fell before. He looked down at me and told me to close my eyes. I trusted him, so I did as he was told. I felt him wrap his arms around me, so I thought I should do the same. Suddenly, all the sound I heard before disappeared and the air felt different. He released his arms from me and told me to open my eyes now. I looked around and we were back in front of the tree. I would have been in shock, but I've seen so much tonight, nothing could surprise me. Lorcan began walking back towards town, so I followed.

We finally arrived in front of my home. Lorcan and I talked about so many things that time took the best of me. It was quite silent around, but I didn't pay too much attention to it.

"I best be going home. The sun will be rising soon." I nodded.

"Thank you, Lorcan. Goodnight." I said holding onto my door handle to get inside.

"It's no problem, Miss Adonia. Goodnight." I turned around to open my door. When I turned back around to say something to him, he was gone. Nowhere to be seen actually. I should have known.


	4. Prechapter One: Dare Belacqua

**In which Dare meets a friend**

"Good night, Mr. Gibbs," I said, finally making it to the front of _The Queen's Gown_.

"G'night, Miss Black," he said, gruffly.

"Thank you for walking me home," I added, although I'd hardly needed the protection; I was equipped. At the thought, I let my hand brush against my left leg where I felt the sheath of my father's sword hang from underneath my dress.

"Can't have a pretty lady, such as yourself wanderin' the streets of Tortuga," he said seriously. He nodded; he knew I was probably a better sparer than he was, but he liked to be sure I was safe, like the father I'd lost so long ago. He waved nonchalantly and walked away as I unlocked the door to the shop, stepped inside, and locked up again.

My thoughts wandered for a while, first on my father, as I made my way up the stairs at the back of the shop to the little upstairs room. I got undressed and slid into bed where I laid awake, trying to remember what my father even looked like. I had been sixteen at the time and many years had past; almost ten, as I suddenly realized. I turned over to my side. I wondered what life would've been like if my parents hadn't died. I wouldn't have been living in Tortuga, that's for sure. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. It must've been twelve in the morning already and tomorrow was Saturday, one of the busiest days of the week for my shop. That meant I had to open early. I groaned a little at the thought of waking up early again.

Then, I heard a noise. It was faint, and I brushed it off as another drunken man coming from _The Faithful Bride_ tavern right down the street. But then I heard it again and it sounded like it had come from my front door. I rolled onto my back and strained my ears to hear the noise again, but it didn't come. I sighed. I was still making things up in the dark, even now when such things seemed childish.

Then, the sound came again, only louder. What was it? It was almost a scratching noise like someone or something was clawing at the wooden door downstairs. The only way to figure it out would be to go down there and check, so I pushed myself out of bed and started back down to the shop. As I made my way down the stairs, I heard more noise like tapping against the glass window at the front of my shop. Then, I hit myself a moment later as I figured out it was only rain coming down in heavy turrets. I had only made it halfway down, so with a roll of my eyes, I turned back around and headed upstairs again.

But there the noise was again, and it wasn't rain. I turned and slowly crept down the steps, scolding myself mentally for not remembering to bring my sword. I peered cautiously out the front window, but I saw nothing. Maybe it was just a lonely street cat using my door as a scratching post. But I knew cats didn't sound like that. I took the key I had hiding in a pocket in my under dress and slowly and quietly unlocked the front door. Then, as softly as I could, I turned the handle, not quite sure what to be expecting, and opened the door.

And it definitely was not what I was expecting. A dog, white as the moon itself, stood there drenched to the bone and thin as a twig. It was a monster of a thing—it's back came up to my waist, if you can imagine. I gave it a curious look and hesitated as I debated whether to shut the door on it or not. It was just a mangy mutt; Tortuga was crawling with them. But, there was something about this mutt that wasn't right. It seemed to hold some sort of human intelligence; like it would know what I was saying. I laughed at my own thoughts and began to shut the door, but the dog quickly and agilely stuck its great paw in through the doorway so I couldn't close it. I opened the door again and this time muttered, "Shoo."

It gave me a comical look, as if it were laughing and walked straight past me into the room where it shook cold, dirty water all over my floors. I gasped in anger. "Look what you-!" I started, but the dog glared at me as if daring me to finish my sentence. I took the warning and looked down. Then it occurred to me, this was no dog.

I'd read about wolves in books and heard about them in stories, but never, in a million years, had I ever planned to meet one face-to-face, especially not the flesh-eating, man-hating wolves I'd heard about so often. I gave it a careful look. It seemed friendly enough. "Are you a…" I trailed off, almost afraid of being called insane for talking to an animal. "Wolf?" I finished.

Then, it did something even more curious. It nodded. I had to blink a couple times to make sure I wasn't dreaming, which I hoped I was because this was turning into a real nightmare. Dream or not, my floors were messy and if I didn't clean it up now, it would dry in the morning and leave an even bigger mess. With a sigh I found a rag and began mopping up the mess. I thanked myself for putting all my good dresses in the back. I could easily wash all the mud stains out of the other, less expensive dresses still hanging on the racks in the front of the shop. When I finished cleaning, I returned the rag to the closet, but found the wolf to be missing. I looked around, but I decided to let it be. As long as it didn't eat me, it could stay how ever long it pleased.

So with a last scan of downstairs, I sleepily walked upstairs, half-asleep as it was, and found my way through the dark and into my bed. Well, that is to say, I _almost_ made it into my bed, had it not been for the sleeping wolf on top of it. I stopped myself from screaming upon feeling its wet fur where I thought I'd touch blanket. Stupid mongrel stole my bed too. "If you're going to be sleeping here, you'll sleep at the end of the bed or on the floor," I demanded. I sounded firm, but I really didn't think the wolf would listen, which would account for my shocked face when I heard the bed creak and found the wolf had moved to end of the bed. Maybe this could work. I'd always wanted a guard dog.


	5. Prechapter Two: Dare Belacqua

**In which Dare gets some unexpected news**

"How about… Fluffy?" I suggested. The wolf shook her head again. I'd about given up on names; she never seemed agreeable to anything. I'd just finished readying the shop and was unlocking the door when I remembered something. "What about Eris?" I suggested. I looked at the wolf who stared back at me curiously, probably wondering where I came up with such a name. "It's the goddess of chaos or something or other," I explained. I shrugged. "I think I read it somewhere." The wolf made a little sound, almost like a howl and wagged her tail. I grinned. "All right then, it's settled. Eris."

The day passed by quickly as I got some customers in and out on one business or another. One thing Tortuga was not in short of was women with tight-fitting and easily-ripping dresses. It was good for business, as crude as it sounded. Once in a long while I'd even get a man—always a pirate—in search of a hat or sheath or belt, which I also kept in stock for such occasions. And no one seemed frightened by Eris, so I dubbed her good for business. By the end of the day, I'd made enough to last another month of food, water, rent, and cloth. But then it occurred to be that I had a new family member.

I looked guiltily at Eris. "I guess I need to get you some sort of food. I suppose I'll just get more-." I stopped when she looked at me and shook her great head 'no'. "But don't you need food?" She continued to gesture 'no', so I just let it be with a small nod. I'd let her keep her business to herself. Maybe she'd go hunting later. I looked at the small clock I had on the wall. It was almost seven, so I took it as a good time to close. I took all the expensive dresses and put them in the back room where they would be less likely to catch the eye of some greedy, drunken pirate looking to break into a shop. I was just about to lock the door when I looked up and saw Mr. Gibbs walking at a fast pace towards my shop. I opened the door and cocked my head to the side.

"Hello," I said.

"I got wind of some rather interesting news that I think you should be hearin' about," he said in a hurried whisper. His eyes darted this way and that.

"Well, come in," I said, opening the door so he could step inside.

I shut the door behind him and I followed him to the back of the store where there sat several wooden stools and a table I used for measuring, sewing, and hemming and such. He sat and I followed suit, listening closely. "Well, what is it?" I asked.

He opened his mouth to speak, then let out a yelp and pointed behind me. As my back was to the entrance to the front room, I turned around, but only saw Eris come trotting in nonchalantly.

"Oh. This is Eris. Found her on the street. She's been helping me around the shop," I explained as Eris sat down next to me.

"It's bad luck to be havin' one of those in your household, Miss Black," he warned darkly.

"I'm sure I'll find some counter for that curse, Mr. Gibbs," I said sarcastically, although I think he took me seriously as nodded his head solemnly. I also wondered, for the umpteenth time, why so many people had trouble with the last name "Belacqua" that they insisted on calling me "Black" instead. I shrugged it off, as always.

"Well, anyway." He gave a nervous glance in Eris's direction but continued, "I heard from a pirate ship that just docked in, that they caught sight of a ship from the English Royal Navy not too far from here."

"What?!" I gasped. No British ship had been seen in Tortuga's waters for years, and it never meant anything good was coming, either.

"Yes, but you don't think…" He trailed off, knowing that I knew what he was going to say.

"It won't be him," I insisted. "And if it is, it won't be because of me, and it won't turn into anything good." I was speaking of my brother. Cutler Beckett was a real bastard of a guy. Last I heard he'd been given the title "Lieutenant" for his "good deeds" which namely consisted of putting countless pirates in jail and then having them hanged by the neck. But I'd long discarded the surname and acquired a new one – my mother's maiden name – and lost all reference to him. In fact, Mr. Gibbs was probably the only person on Tortuga who knew of my relationship with Cutler Beckett. "Well thank you for telling me, Mr. Gibbs," I said, promptly ending the conversation. I wanted to get upstairs and think. This was too much news for one sitting.

He nodded. "O' course. I knew you'd want to know first, Miss Black. Have a good ev'nin'," he muttered as he stepped out the door and I locked it close behind him.


	6. Prechapter Three: Dare Belacqua

The next morning I woke up in a depressed mood. It took me until I was unlocking the shop to remember why; my brother might be in town. As unlikely as it was, it was still possible, and even if it wasn't Beckett that was there in Tortuga, it was someone I didn't want to meet, to be sure.

The day passed by slowly, hardly getting any costumers. I entertained myself by talking to Eris like the crazy woman I am. I decided I'd tell her my life story. I didn't really expect her to listen or know or even care, but it was nice having somehow stare at you intently as you spoke. I was almost finished when Mr. Gibbs burst through my door, making me drop the scissors I was holding on Eris' paw. She yelped, but wasn't bleeding, thank goodness.

"What is it?!" I yelled, my Irish temper getting the best of me.

"I apologize, Ms. Black, bu' I'll be askin' ye to make a very important decision. Do you want to be a pirate?"

If talking to my wolf had seemed crazy, this was absolutely insane. "What kind of a question is that?" I asked.

"One that needs answerin', as it were," he said, still out of breath. "I'm leavin', Ms. Black and I hate the thought of leavin' ye here all by yourself! Besides, wasn't it your greatest dream to be a pirate?"

"That's not true!" I protested. All right, maybe it was true a little bit. "Well, maybe. But what on earth are you talking about, Mr. Gibbs?"

"An ol' _friend_ o' mine dropped by and he says he needs a crew. And you've 'ad some experience on your parents' ships, 'aven't ye?! You'll be great! The only thing is that the ship is leavin' now."

Suddenly I remembered what Mr. Gibbs had told me before, about the English ship and it made me wonder; "Is this ship the same ship which you spoke of last night? Meaning the same ship that was therefore commandeered from the British Navy?!"

"That'd be the one," Mr. Gibbs admitted. "Bu' there'll more time to explain that when we're settin' sail! Come on, Ms. Black! Get your things together! On'y the necessities, o' course. On'y things ye can put on yourself."

I couldn't believe I was actually doing it when I tightened my sword around my waist, exchanged my work boots for my leather ones, and attached a dagger around my thigh. I had changed my dress, too, for something a bit more mobile than my work dress.

"Are ye ready?" Mr. Gibbs asked, still filled with nervous energy.

"Er. Yeah. I think I've got everything," I said, looking around the shop. There was nothing to do about the dresses I'd made. I was simply going to lock up and hope I wasn't gone long enough for it to be broken into. It was a long shot, but I was a dreamer.

We walked out the front door and it was then that it hit me what I was doing, exactly; I was living my dream of becoming a pirate and sailing the open seas. Who knew where we'd go! The places we'd see! All I knew was that it was an adventure which was something I'd been longing for since I could remember.

"Well, that things not comin' with us, is it?" Mr. Gibbs asked, pointing a finger at Eris.

Eris bared her teeth and I patted her head. "Of course she is, Mr. Gibbs. You've got to understand. She's like my guardian angel." I smiled.

Mr. Gibbs looked nervous, but didn't argue the point and we set off toward the dock.


	7. Prechapter Four: Dare Belacqua

"Wait, wait, wait." I stopped. We'd been walking for only five minutes and I was already getting second thoughts. "I'm sorry, Mr. Gibbs, but I really would like some more information before I take another step. I just… this is so reckless!"

Eris looked at him expectantly and he seemed to grow nervous. "Er… All right, but there's not much time to spare. What do ye need to know?"

"For one, who's this _friend_ of yours?" I folded my arms across my chest.

"I-I-I… Well, I'd doubt ye'd know 'im by name, o' course, but er… Jack Sparrow."

My mouth dropped open in that lady-like fashion I have. "_Jack Sparrow_! As in _the_ Jack Sparrow!? As in the Jack Sparrow who seems to be notorious around these parts particularly, is told about in stories all the time, and used to captain the infamous _Black Pearl_ is _your_ _friend_?" I couldn't even believe my own words.

"Aye." Mr. Gibbs seemed to have gained an ego-boost through affiliation.

"All right," I said, still shaken by the news. "So why am I coming? Or rather, what am I going to do once we get to wherever we're going?"

"Why, you'll be helpin' up on deck, o' course! And the ship, if you must know, is the _Interceptor_."

"The _Interceptor_?" I was ready to faint. "The fastest British Naval ship on the sea? How on _Earth_-?"

"It's a question I been askin' meself, miss. But we really _must_ be going. Jack wanted a crew to be assembled by noon. I'm blown that I'm allowing meself to let _another_ woman on board…" He started mumbling to himself again as he led the way down the wooden dock.

"_Another_ woman?" I asked aloud. "How many women are there on this ship?"

"You'll be makin' it three, miss," Gibbs said, searching the docks eagerly.

"But I thought it was _bad luck_ to have a woman aboard a ship?" I asked sarcastically. "Three is just a glutton for punishment!"

"Aye, that it is," Gibbs said, making eye contact with me for half a moment. It suddenly occurred to me that either Gibbs was sending me to my death or he _really_ cared about me. I prayed it was the latter. "There she is," Gibbs said, finally stopping at the end of a pier. "The _Interceptor_."

"Oh… my…," I breathed. "She's huge!" I heard voices from on deck, but they were indistinct. I took my first step onto the ramp and Eris followed obediently. Mr. Gibbs was already on deck chatting with someone I couldn't see over the side. As I stepped over the edge and onto the wooden paneling, I realized why; Mr. Gibbs was talking to a midget, to put it frankly.

"Dare, I'd like to introduce you to the crew!" Mr. Gibbs shouted happily as I looked around, awestruck.

"This here is Marty." He indicated the short, bald man. Marty waved a greeting. I smiled. "Comin' down the riggin' there is Cotton," he said, pointing up at an old man with a parrot on his shoulder. Mr. Gibbs must have seen where I was looking, because he added, "He's a mute, poor bloke, so he trained the parrot to talk for him… er… kinda."

I didn't push the subject. Mr. Gibbs started walking down towards the helm where we ran into a dark-skinned woman, about my age if not younger.

"Anamaria!" Mr. Gibbs greeted the woman. "Dare, this is Anamaria. Anamaria, this here is Dare."

She nodded and wiped her hands on an old handkerchief idly. "Ever been on a ship?" she asked bluntly.

"My parents used to own several ships," I answered. "I've not been on anything as magnificent as the _Interceptor_ since I was eleven, but yeah, I know what I'm doing."

"Good." She seemed pleased, anyway. "Stick with me. Some men on this boat I do not trust."

I tried to place her accent and failed. I laughed, though I didn't know if she was kidding or not.

It was then that I looked down, expecting to see Eris, but instead saw no one at all. "Eris?" I said to myself. I turned and saw her running off the ramp and down onto the dock. "Eris!" I yelled. I ran after her without another thought.

I chased her naught twenty yards before she stopped short in front a group of three drastically different people. The one in the lead was handsome. He wore plain garb and brown hair, tied back in a ponytail. His rough, blackened hands clued me into his probably being a blacksmith.

Behind him was another man with long dreadlocks and his dress was elaborate: jewels, belts, buckles – all the usual accessories of a pirate.

And next to him stood a young woman, fairly younger than I was with beautifully dark skin, much like Anamaria's, dark hair, in a regular dress, just like the ones I wore in her shop.

"I'm sorry," I apologized quickly. "I don't know what got into her."

But the blacksmith wasn't looking at me as I spoke. Instead his gaze fixated on Eris and Eris was staring intently at the blacksmith. At least I wasn't alone in the confusion; the young lady had a look of uncertainty too. The pirate, on the other hand, looked shocked and horrified at the same time.

"Do you two know each other?" the pirate asked, indicating with his heavily jeweled hand the wolf and the blacksmith.

"Where did you find her?" the blacksmith finally addressed me.

"Er… she found me," I admitted. "Not two days ago. Why?"

He got down on one knee and held out his hand to the wolf and said, "Willow?"

Eris jumped up on him excitedly. He laughed and stood up, looking at me as if this was a perfectly normal situation.

"This is Willow! This was my father's dog. He used to take her out on his trips as a…" He hesitated. "sea merchant."

The pirate rolled his eyes. "Pirate," he muttered.

All of a sudden it clicked as to who, exactly, these people were. The pirate, no doubt, was Jack Sparrow, the woman must've been the third woman Mr. Gibb's had mentioned, but the blacksmith I couldn't place. Perhaps he was just another part of the crew.

"She must be pretty old by now," Will noted, looking at the wolf, now dubbed "Willow."

"Close to death, no doubt," Jack added. His face hid something, some thought that I couldn't quite place.


End file.
